Steve Leialoha

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Steve Leialoha
Leialoha at the 2023 WonderCon
Born (1952-01-27) January 27, 1952 (age 72)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Penciller, Inker
Notable works
Fables
Spider-Woman
AwardsInkpot Award 1986
Eisner Awards 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007

Steve Leialoha (born January 27, 1952)[1] is an American comics artist whose work first came to prominence in the 1970s. He has worked primarily as an inker, though occasionally as a penciller, for several publishers, including Marvel Comics and later DC Comics.

Early life[edit]

Cover for Spider-Woman #8 (November 1978). Art by Carmine Infantino and Steve Leialoha.

Steve Leialoha was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a Native Hawaiian father. He began reading comics as a child, explaining, "My dad would always give me comics. I mean, he would like to read all sorts of stuff, and he would pass everything along to me. Harvey comics and that kind of thing, when I was six or seven. As I got older, the Marvel Age, which I think of starting like in 1962, I was ten, which is certainly a good age for reading that stuff."[2]

Career[edit]

Steve Leialoha's career began in 1975 with the early independent comic book Star*Reach,[3] drawing the five-page story "Wooden Ships on the Water", adapted by writer Mike Friedrich from the song by David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Paul Kantner, in issue #3 (Sept. 1975).[4] He continued to contribute to Star*Reach and the same publisher's Quack for four years.

Leialoha freelanced as a regular contributor to Marvel from 1976 to 1988,[3] working on such series as Warlock, Star Wars,[5] Spider-Woman, the Spider-Man title Marvel Team-Up, the Firestar limited series, New Mutants and Howard the Duck.[4] He and writer J. M. DeMatteis co-created "Greenberg the Vampire" in Bizarre Adventures #29 (Dec. 1981).[6]

Leialoha was one of the artists on Batman #400 (Oct. 1986)[7] and in the 1990s, he began working at DC Comics on Batman and other characters; at Harris Comics on Vampirella; and at Claypool Comics on Soulsearchers and Company. He inked part of the World's End story arc in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series.[8][9] The following decade, he became the regular inker on most of the issues of the DC/Vertigo series Fables, penciled by Mark Buckingham, for which they won the Eisner Award for "Best Penciller/Inker Team" in 2007.[10][11]

Personal life and tributes[edit]

Graduated in 1969, Oceana High School, Pacifica, CA.

Leialoha lives in San Francisco. He was partnered with comics artist Trina Robbins until her death in 2024.[2]

Writer Larry Hama named the G.I. Joe character Edward Leialoha (code name Torpedo) after Steve Leialoha.[12]

Bibliography[edit]

Claypool Comics[edit]

Comico[edit]

Dark Horse Comics[edit]

DC Comics[edit]

Paradox Press[edit]

  • Big Book of Death (1995)
  • Big Book of Grimm (1999)
  • Big Book of Little Criminals (1996)
  • Big Book of Losers (1997)
  • Big Book of the Unexplained (1997)
  • Big Book of Weirdos (1995)

Vertigo[edit]

  • The Dreaming #24, 47, 56 (1998–2001)
  • Fables #1–3, 5–10, 14–17, 19–21, 23–27, 30–33, 36–38, 40–45, 48–50, 52–56, 60–61, 63, 65–69, 71–75, 88–91, 94–98, 100, 102–106, 108–112, 114–121, 125–129, 131–135, 139–150 (2002–2015)
  • Jack of Fables #6, 11, 20, 22, 25, 38 (2007–2009)
  • Nevada #1–6 (1998)
  • Sandman Presents: Deadboy Detectives #1–4 (2001)
  • Sandman Presents: Petrefax #1–4 (2000)
  • The Unwritten #50 (2013)
  • Vertigo Secret Files & Origins: Swamp Thing #1 (2000)
  • Vertigo: First Offenses #1 (2005)
  • Vertigo: Winter's Edge #1 (1998)

Marvel Comics[edit]

Awards[edit]

  • 1986: Won Inkpot Award[13]
  • 2003: Won Eisner Award for "Best New Series" and "Best Serialized Story" for Fables #1–5: "Legends in Exile" with Bill Willingham and Lan Medina.[14]
  • 2005: Won Eisner Award for "Best Serialized Story", for Fables #19–27: "March of the Wooden Soldiers" with Willingham and Mark Buckingham.[15]
  • 2006: Won Eisner Award for "Best Serialized Story", for Fables #36–38, 40–41: "Return to the Homelands" with Willingham and Buckingham.[16]
  • 2007: Won Eisner Award for "Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team", for Fables with Buckingham.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Munson, Kim (August 29, 2014). "Interview: Steve Leialoha". Comics Alternative. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Steve Leialoha". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Steve Leialoha at the Grand Comics Database
  5. ^ Sanderson, Peter; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1970s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 180. ISBN 978-0756641238. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ DeFalco, Tom "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 202: "Writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Steve Leialoha explored a new take on the vampire myth with Greenberg."
  7. ^ Trumbull, John (December 2013). "A New Beginning...And a Probable End Batman #300 and #400". Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 51.
  8. ^ Bender, Hy (1999). The Sandman Companion. New York, New York: DC Comics. p. 269. ISBN 978-1563894657.
  9. ^ Burgas, Greg (January 7, 2013). "Comics You Should Own – Sandman". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014.
  10. ^ Irvine, Alex (2008), "Fables", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The Vertigo Encyclopedia, London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 72–81, ISBN 978-0-7566-4122-1, OCLC 213309015
  11. ^ a b "2007 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 24, 2012.
  12. ^ Bellomo, Mark (2009). The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982–1994: Identification and Price Guide. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 34. ISBN 978-0896899223.
  13. ^ "Inkpot Award". San Diego Comic-Con. 2016. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "2003 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012.
  15. ^ "2005 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012.
  16. ^ "2006 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.

External links[edit]

Preceded by
n/a
 Howard the Duck inker
1976–1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Star Wars inker
1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Spider-Woman artist
1980–1982 		Succeeded by
Brian Postman
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